


meet me right here

by starrynightzayn



Category: Diary of a Future President (TV)
Genre: Banter, Canon Compliant, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Romance, Tennis, Tennis Court Confession Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:14:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28572828
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starrynightzayn/pseuds/starrynightzayn
Summary: It’s been a few months since the dance and Bobby’s feelings for Liam have only grown. When he bikes to the tennis court in an effort to distract himself, he’s met with the unexpected. And maybe for the better.
Relationships: Bobby Cañero-Reed/Liam Carter
Comments: 14
Kudos: 47





	meet me right here

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first doafp fic so please be nice to me!! title from dance alone by tayla parx 
> 
> i hope you all enjoy and thank you for taking the time to read this :)
> 
> for helian ❤️

Bobby shivered, the hair on his arms standing up slightly. He threw his hoodie on and opened the gate to the tennis court, resting his bike against the fence. 

He checked his phone for any messages; Bobby had told his mom he was going over to Ziggy’s to study and she’d given him a wave and soft smile as he left the house. Both of them knew that was a lie but she’d noticed him acting weird the past couple of weeks and decided not to push. 

He was grateful but still felt bad. 

Bobby couldn’t help but feel she was going to call him, knowing he hadn’t told the truth and had actually biked somewhere else at 8 p.m. on a school night. But in all honesty he didn’t care. It wasn’t his first time doing this, he’d traveled here a few other times in the past month and never been caught. There was no harm in taking some time and space for himself. At least that’s what he told himself every time he left the house. 

Bobby got his tennis racket out of his backpack and made his way over to his usual side of the court. He grabbed a tennis ball from the bin and threw it up, spiking it towards the wall. Liam had complimented his forehand a couple of weeks ago, so now every time he played all he could hear were the words “Nice one Reed. You look good.” That last part especially got him. _You look good._

He continued until there were only a few balls left in the crate. As he went to get one he heard a creaking sound and footsteps. He looked up, holding his racket a little tighter. And then he saw him: _Liam_ . Bobby couldn’t help but take him all in: the olive green sweatpants and oversized black hoodie that were just so _soft._ The white sneakers with black accents he always wore to school and long socks stretching over the ankles of his pants. Bobby almost forgot to breathe. 

Liam’s eyes slightly widened and he stood frozen. Bobby wasn’t sure what to do either, continuing to just look at him and feel his legs grow weak. Liam eventually walked over and Bobby followed suit, his heartbeat quickening.

“Hey.”

“Hey.” 

“I didn’t know you’d be here,” Liam said, twiddling his thumbs. 

“Yeah I...I come here sometimes.” Bobby was barely making eye contact, biting at his lip until it started to hurt. 

“I can go, you were here first,” Liam said, beginning to turn back.

“No!” Bobby responded in a rush.

Liam turned around, a curious look on his face.

“I just mean...um. Stay.” _I want you to stay_.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt you…”

“It’s fine, really. I’m tired, we can sit,” Bobby said, his voice shaking. 

Liam nodded and Bobby motioned him towards the court. Bobby always made sure to pack a blanket in case it got cold; he removed it from his backpack and spread it on the ground. They sat so their knees were not even a few inches apart and Bobby couldn’t help but stare, his heart begging him to move closer. He tried to distract himself by looking at the trees shaking in the distance, but nothing could peel his eyes away from Liam. Liam Liam Liam. A silence fell over them and Bobby was only grateful that it was a comfortable one. At least they had that. 

“So what do you do here? I’m assuming this isn’t your first time coming at night,” Liam eventually said. 

“Nah, it isn’t. Usually just play a bit. Nothing much.” 

Liam nodded, twirling a loose thread on his sweatshirt. 

“What about you?” Bobby asked. 

“Same just...chill,” Liam said, making Bobby blush. 

“Nice.”

“Your sweatshirt’s really cool by the way. It’s um...soft,” Bobby added, wincing at the last part and how lame he probably sounded. 

“Thanks,” Liam said with a toothy grin. Bobby fought back a smile. 

_I like you._

Bobby could feel words pressing at the lining of his throat, aching to be let out. How did he tell one of his best friends that he had a crush on him?

“Wanna play a round?” Liam asked. “I brought my racket too.” 

Bobby looked up and stared at Liam, his soft lips and gentle expression. He tried searching Liam’s eyes for something, anything, that would indicate he wanted to say something else, something that didn’t come back to school or tennis. Bobby found nothing, or maybe he did but couldn’t tell if it was what he wanted, what he was hoping for. He decided right then that he couldn’t wait for Liam any longer, couldn’t wait for the words to spill from his mouth while they were fighting inside Bobby’s. It was up to him to make something happen. 

“Uh, no.” 

Liam got confused and looked down, returning to playing with whatever string he could find on his clothing or the blanket. 

“I have something to tell you,” Bobby whispered. 

Liam nodded and returned his gaze to Bobby, _only_ Bobby. Bobby wasn’t sure he could speak with Liam looking at him like that, gentle and welcoming. 

“I…” Bobby turned down, closing his eyes and trying to calm himself. 

Liam moved his hand and rested it on Bobby’s knee. _Talk to me._

“I like you,” he said under his breath. “Um...and not just as a friend.” 

Bobby felt Liam’s thumb caressing his knee and wanted to reach out. He continued facing the ground but at the very least opened his eyes, trying to assess if it was safe.

“Me too,” Liam whispered. Bobby’s heart continued to pound but he looked up, shocked out of his mind. 

Their eyes met and stayed interlocked. A soft smile appeared on Liam’s face and Bobby bit his lip. 

“You— you do?” 

Liam nodded and his smile grew. Bobby wanted to laugh, scream even knowing Liam liked him. But instead he moved his hand so it rested on top of Liam’s and warmth spread throughout them. 

Liam laughed and flipped his hand over so he could properly hold Bobby’s. He stroked Bobby’s knuckles, a laugh emerging from Bobby’s mouth as he couldn’t help but grin and feel a lightness to him. 

“Since when?” Bobby asked. 

“I don’t know if there was ever a concrete moment. Things just kept on happening, practice every day and all the times we hung out. Eventually I realized I wanted to be more than friends. I remember I saw you and Monyca holding hands and I got so angry because I wished that were me. But then everything got messy with your break up and the dance…”

“The dance…” Bobby cut in. “Right. I’m really sorry about that.”

“It’s ok. Now I know you were just jealous,” he said with a smug face, shoving Bobby playfully. 

“Yeah yeah, I was,” Bobby said, looking down. 

“But what about you? When’d you realize?” 

“That day in the storage closet um. The whole thing was...I felt really safe. You cheered me up when I didn’t even think that was even possible. And you gave me that tennis ball as a prize and I wanted to thank you so badly. I couldn’t think of the words though, to express how I felt. And then when our knees touched, you didn’t pull away. You just smiled at me, and I wanted to be even closer.” 

Liam lit up, a soft smile appearing on his face.

“I still wanna be closer,” Bobby said with a toothy grin. 

Liam blushed, biting his lip. 

“So...” Bobby began. He wasn’t sure where they went from there. Well he _did_ , but he didn’t know if Liam wanted that. 

“I’d...I’d like to be your boyfriend. If that’s ok,” Liam said softly, his voice shaky.

“I’d like that too.” 

Liam’s smile grew, and he squeezed Bobby’s hand. 

“Wanna listen to music?” Bobby suggested, holding Liam’s gaze. Liam nodded and Bobby got out his earbuds and handed one to Liam. 

“I can’t lie...I might’ve made a playlist for you. Or, about you? I don’t really know but it has Liam written all over it.”

Liam chuckled, crinkles forming around his eyes. “Well someone really likes me.”

Bobby shook his head, rolling his eyes. 

“Don’t worry, I have one for you too,” Liam said, making Bobby blush. 

He clicked play on Dance Alone by Tayla Parx and both of them laid back, staring up at the stars. 

“I like that one, looks like a duck,” Bobby pointed out. 

“No way, it’s _clearly_ an otter.”

“An otter? Really?”

“Yeah man, an otter. What do you have against otters?”

“Nothing, I guess. Just doesn’t look like one.” 

“Hmm. I just don’t think you know enough about otters to tell,” Liam joked. 

“Maybe,” was all Bobby could say. 

Liam smiled, knowing he’d run Bobby silent. He set a mental note to buy him a stuffed animal otter soon.

They continued pointing out what the different stars looked like, poking one another when they said something silly and laughing till their stomachs hurt. Their hands remain interlocked, and Bobby couldn’t help but look down every few minutes and smile. It wasn’t until an hour had passed that both of them realized they needed to leave. 

“I’ll take you home,” Liam said with a grin. 

Bobby blushed and nodded. They walked over to the fence, hands finally separating, slowly though as neither wanted to lose contact. They biked to his house, going as slowly as possible so they could ride next to each other and chat. 

By 9:30 p.m. they arrived and neither wanted the night to end. Liam walked him to the door, their hands immediately returning to one another’s and Bobby swinging them back and forth. 

“I had a lot of fun tonight,” Liam said, his gaze directed at Bobby and his eyes soft and warm. 

“Me too. I’m glad we, uh, figured things out.” 

“Same.” 

“I’ll see you at school tomorrow?” Bobby asked. 

“Yeah.” 

Bobby’s smile only grew, almost covering his entire face. Liam’s fingers smoothed over his knuckles and Bobby giggled under his breath. 

“I should probably go in now. Don’t wanna keep my mom waiting.” 

“Yeah, probably.”

Bobby turned his foot in, though his body remained facing Liam. Liam laughed, knowing both just wanted to be with each other for hours more. 

“Here,” he said, before leaning in and kissing Bobby on the cheek. Bobby lit up, eyebrows raised and blushing. 

“I’ll text you,” Liam confirmed. Bobby nodded happily, too stunned for words. He watched as Liam walked down the driveway, staring at him as he rode off until no longer visible. He walked into his house to find his mom and sister sitting on the couch.

“What are you so happy about?” Elena asked, noticing Bobby’s wide grin. 

“Nothing,” he said harshly. 

“How was Ziggy’s house?” his mom asked from the couch. 

“Good,” Bobby said, face still flushed from the kiss. “It was really good.” 


End file.
